Outline
I.
Introduction
A. Definition
of Child Labour
B. Thesis
statement
II.
Background of Child Labour
III.
Pro-Arguments
A. Pro-argument
1: Through child labour, children will learn how to become productive, independent,
and mature.
B. Pro-argument
2: Working children are essential for survival of many families especially in
poor countries.
C. Pro-argument
3: Boycotts made against the laws which were created to prevent child labour
will lead to consequences such as harming the children rather than helping
them.
IV.
Con Arguments
A. Con
argument 1: Child labour deprives children of their childhood and potentials.
B. Con
argument 2: Child labour removes the dignity and freedom of children.
C. Con
argument 3: There are other dangers involved in child labour, such as child
slavery, child prostitution, child soldiers, and child trafficking.
V.
Refutation of the
counter-arguments
VI.
Conclusion
A. Summary
B. Recommendations
Final
“If we cannot begin to agree on fundamentals,
such as the elimination of the most abusive forms of child labor, then we
really are not ready to march forward into the future,” says
Alexis Herman. Child labour refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or
morally dangerous and harmful to children; interferes with their schooling by
depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave
school prematurely or by requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance
with excessively long and heavy work. Children who are
involved in child labour may learn how to be productive and may become
independent and mature citizens; however, child labour deprives children of
their childhood, their potential, and their dignity.
Child labour has
been one of the many concerns in the different parts of the world and, most
alarmingly, one of the most widespread problems that the world continually
faces. Sadly, child labour is still common in our world today. According to the International Labor
Organization, there are approximately,
215 million children between the
ages of 5 and 17 that currently work under conditions that are considered
illegal, hazardous, or extremely exploitative. Underage children work at all
sorts of jobs around the world, usually because they and their families are
extremely poor. Large numbers of children work in commercial agriculture,
fishing, manufacturing, mining, and, domestic service. Some children work in
illicit activities like the drug trade and prostitution or other traumatic
activities such as serving as soldiers. Of an estimated 215 child laborers
around the globe: approximately 114 million (53%) are in Asia and the Pacific;
14 million (7%) live in Latin America; and 65 million (30%) live in sub-Saharan
Africa. (Child labor public education project, n.d.)
Through child
labour, children will learn how to become productive, independent, and mature.
Though it may be true that children can also learn how to become productive,
independent and mature by attending school, but speaking from a practical and
realistic point of view, some children cannot afford to go to school because of
the fact that their families do not have money to pay for their tuition fees or
because they are forced not to attend school for they have to work to feed
themselves and their families. By working, even at a very young age, the
victims of child labour will be able to somehow be productive with the work
that they do. For example, a child who works in a clothing factory does not
only learn how to sew but he will also be able to earn money for himself and
his family as well. Children who work will also learn how to be independent and
mature because they will become used to working on their own.
Working children
are also essential for the survival of many families especially in poor
countries. Some families need their children to work and to earn money just to
feed their empty stomachs. Children are forced to drop out of school to work
because they need money and food to survive. According to the International
Labor Organization head of the Philippines, Lawrence Jeff Johnson, “we have to
get to the root of child labor which is linked with poverty and lack of decent
and productive work” (Tubeza, 2012). Poverty is one of the major causes of
child labour and this is also one of the many reasons why some children need to
work.
Another
reason why child labour could be something good is because boycotts made
against the laws which were created to prevent child labour may lead to greater
consequences such as harming the children rather than helping them. After the
Child Labor Deterrence Act, a bill that "prohibits the importation of
products that have been produced by child labour, and included civil and
criminal penalties for violators" was introduced in the United States, the
UNICEF stated that
an
estimated 50,000 children lost their jobs in the garment industry in
Bangladesh, and were more or less forced to take dngerous jobs such as
stone-crushing, street hustling, and even prostitution, and being much more
expoitative than their previous garment industry jobs. Boycotts such as this
are blunt instruments with long-term consequences that can actually harm rather
than help the children involved. (Child labour pros and cons, n.d.)
Child labour may
be beneficial to some of its victims; but on the other hand, it deprives
children of their childhood and potentials. The victims of child labour are
more probable to be withdrawn from a normal and happy childhood because they
will have less or no time at all to enjoy the things that children normally do
such as playing, going to school, or enhancing their talents. Playing and
having a formal education are only some of rights of children that should be
given attention; thus, depriving children of their childhood and potentials
also means violating their rights as children.
Child labour
also removes the dignity and freedom of children. Most of the forms of child
labour are exploitive and harmful by nature; which consequently, go against the
dignity and freedom of children.
Millions of children are involved in
work that, under any circumstance, is considered unacceptable for children,
including the sale and trafficking of children into debt bondage, serfdom, and
forced labor. It includes the forced recruitment of children for armed
conflict, commercial sexual exploitation, and illicit activities, such as
producing and trafficking drugs. (Child labor public education project, n.d.)
There are other
dangers involved in child labour which are in part hazardous and exploitive,
such as child slavery, child prostitution, child soldiers, and child
trafficking. “Labour
that jeopardizes the physical, mental or moral well-being of a child, either
because of its nature or because of the conditions in which it is carried out,
is known as hazardous work” (What is child labour?, 2012). The worst forms of
child labour as defined by Article 3 of ILO Convention No. 182 are
all forms of slavery or practices
similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage
and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory
recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; the use, procuring or
offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for
pornographic performances; the use,
procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the
production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international
treaties; and work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is
carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.
(Convention on the Rights of the Child, 2006)
Through child
labour, children will learn how to become productive, independent, and mature
but children
may learn how to be productive, independent, and mature through other ways such
as through their parents and by going to school. Furthermore, some
of the victims of child labour are not even at the right age to be productive,
independent, and mature. These include children who are below 13 years old. A
number of children in poor countries may be forced to work for their families
to survive; nevertheless, this is the part where the government should help the
families of these children. They should enforce laws or create projects that would
prevent these children from being forced to work and that would help the
families of the victims of child labour as well. While it may be true that the
laws made by the government which prevent child labour lead children to do work
which are more dangerous to the work that they have done before, the government
should guarantee a better future for the victims of child labour in addition to
the creation of laws that impedes child labour. If the government provides
organizations which help and give benefits to the victims of child labour, it
might be possible that children will stop from doing more harmful and dangerous
work.
Despite
the facts that child labour teaches children to be productive, independent, and
mature; that it is essential for the survival of many families; and that the
laws made by the government which prevent child labour lead children to be
involved in work which are more dangerous to the work that they have done
before, child labour deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and
their dignity.
There are many
forms of child labour but we must give greater attention to its worst forms,
namely, child slavery, child prostitution, child soldiers, and child
trafficking. We must unite and help each other in order to fight and eradicate
child labour. Let us work together to save the children of the world and to
provide them with a better future for these children will sooner or later be
the hope of our world.
Draft
“Child Labour”
“If we cannot begin to agree on fundamentals,
such as the elimination of the most abusive forms of child labor, then we
really are not ready to march forward into the future,” says
Alexis Herman. Child labour refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or
morally dangerous and harmful to children; interferes with their schooling by
depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave
school prematurely or by requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance
with excessively long and heavy work. Children who are
involved in child labour may learn how to be productive and may become
independent and mature citizens; however, child labour deprives children of
their childhood, their potential, and their dignity.
Child labour has
been one of the many concerns in the different parts of the world and, most
alarmingly, one of the most widespread problems that the world continually
faces. Sadly, child labour is still common in our world today. According to the International Labor
Organization, there are approximately,
215 million children between the
ages of 5 and 17 that currently work under conditions that are considered
illegal, hazardous, or extremely exploitative. Underage children work at all
sorts of jobs around the world, usually because they and their families are
extremely poor. Large numbers of children work in commercial agriculture,
fishing, manufacturing, mining, and, domestic service. Some children work in
illicit activities like the drug trade and prostitution or other traumatic
activities such as serving as soldiers. Of an estimated 215 child laborers
around the globe: approximately 114 million (53%) are in Asia and the Pacific;
14 million (7%) live in Latin America; and 65 million (30%) live in sub-Saharan
Africa. (Child labor public education project, n.d.)
Through child
labour, children will learn how to become productive, independent, and mature.
Though it may be true that children can also learn how to become productive,
independent and mature by attending school, speaking from a practical and
realistic point of view, some children cannot afford to go to school because of
the fact that their families do not have money to pay for their tuition fees or
because they are forced not to attend school for they have to work to feed
themselves and their families. By working, even at a very young age, the
victims of child labour will be able to somehow be productive with the work
that they do. For example, a child who works in a clothing factory does not
only learn how to sew but he will also be able to earn money for himself and
his family as well. Children who work will also learn how to be independent and
mature because they will become used to working on their own.
Working children
are also essential for the survival of many families especially in poor
countries. Some families need their children to work and to earn money just to
feed their empty stomachs. Children are forced to drop out of school to work
because they need money and food to survive. According to the International
Labor Organization head of the Philippines, Lawrence Jeff Johnson, “we have to
get to the root of child labor which is linked with poverty and lack of decent
and productive work” (Tubeza, 2012). Poverty is one of the major causes of
child labour and this is also one of the many reasons why some children need to
work.
Another
reason why child labour could be something good is because boycotts made
against the laws which were created to prevent child labour may lead to greater
consequences such as harming the children rather than helping them. After the
Child Labor Deterrence Act, a bill that "prohibits the importation of
products that have been produced by child labour, and included civil and
criminal penalties for violators" was introduced in the United States, the
UNICEF stated that
an
estimated 50,000 children lost their jobs in the garment industry in
Bangladesh, and were more or less forced to take dngerous jobs such as
stone-crushing, street hustling, and even prostitution, and being much more
expoitative than their previous garment industry jobs. Boycotts such as this
are blunt instruments with long-term consequences that can actually harm rather
than help the children involved. (Child labour pros and cons, n.d.)
Child labour may
be beneficial to some of its victims; but on the other hand, it deprives
children of their childhood and potentials. The victims of child labour are
more probable to be withdrawn from a normal and happy childhood because they
will have less or no time at all to enjoy the things that children normally do
such as playing, going to school, or enhancing their talents. Playing and
having a formal education are only some of rights of children that should be
given attention; thus, depriving children of their childhood and potentials
also means violating their rights as children.
Child labour
also removes the dignity and freedom of children. Most of the forms of child
labour are exploitive and harmful by nature; which consequently, go against the
dignity and freedom of children.
Millions of children are involved in
work that, under any circumstance, is considered unacceptable for children,
including the sale and trafficking of children into debt bondage, serfdom, and
forced labor. It includes the forced recruitment of children for armed
conflict, commercial sexual exploitation, and illicit activities, such as producing
and trafficking drugs. (Child labor public education project, n.d.)
There are other
dangers involved in child labour which are in part hazardous and exploitive,
such as child slavery, child prostitution, child soldiers, and child
trafficking. “Labour
that jeopardizes the physical, mental or moral well-being of a child, either
because of its nature or because of the conditions in which it is carried out,
is known as hazardous work” (What is child labour?, 2012). The worst forms of
child labour as defined by Article 3 of ILO Convention No. 182 are
all forms of slavery or practices
similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage
and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory
recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; the use, procuring or
offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for
pornographic performances; the use,
procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the
production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international
treaties; and work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is
carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. (Convention
on the Rights of the Child, 2006)
Through child
labour, children will learn how to become productive, independent, and mature
but children
may learn how to be productive, independent, and mature through other ways such
as through their parents and by going to school. Furthermore, some
of the victims of child labour are not even at the right age to be productive,
independent, and mature. These include children who are below 13 years old. A
number of children in poor countries may be forced to work for their families
to survive; nevertheless, this is the part where the government should help the
families of these children. They should enforce laws or create projects that
would prevent these children from being forced to work and that would help the
families of the victims of child labour as well. While it may be true that the
laws made by the government which prevent child labour lead children to do work
which are more dangerous to the work that they have done before, the government
should guarantee a better future for the victims of child labour in addition to
the creation of laws that impedes child labour. If the government provides
organizations which help and give benefits to the victims of child labour, it
might be possible that children will stop from doing more harmful and dangerous
work.
Despite
the facts that child labour teaches children to be productive, independent, and
mature; that it is essential for the survival of many families; and that the
laws made by the government which prevent child labour lead children to be
involved in work which are more dangerous to the work that they have done before,
child labour deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their
dignity.
There are many
forms of child labour but we must give greater attention to its worst forms,
namely, child slavery, child prostitution, child soldiers, and child trafficking.
We must unite and help each other in order to fight and eradicate child labour.
Let us work together to save the children of the world and to provide them with
a better future for these children will sooner or later be the hope of our
world.
References
Child labour public education
project.
(n.d.). Retrieved August 9, 2012 from
Convention
on the Rights of the Child, United Nations. 2006,
c. 182.
Green Planet Ethics. (n.d.) Child labour pros and cons. Retrieved
August 1, 2012 from
Tubeza, P. (2012, June 27). 5.9
million child laborers in Philippines, says ILO survey. Philippine
en/index.htm.
